Sherri N. Braxton

Dr. Sherri N. Braxton currently serves as Deputy CIO for Digital Innovation at Bowdoin College and is responsible for supporting the ongoing Bowdoin Online Learning and Teaching (BOLT) operational vision and strategy and providing day-to-day guidance and support across the overall effort. She leads efforts to document, prioritize and build on teaching and learning lessons from COVID-19 impacted academic terms. She not only partners with stakeholders throughout the college while leading efforts to identify, prioritize, and pursue other opportunities for digital innovation, but she also lead efforts to partner and collaborate with peers and other institutions on these digital learning initiatives.

Prior to joining Bowdoin College, Dr. Braxton served as Senior Director of Instructional Technology at UMBC where she was responsible for leading the Division of Information Technology’s (DoIT) strategy for end-user support of instructional technologies including online, hybrid, and traditional, “face-to-face” technologies. With over 20 years of experience in traditional classroom instruction and adult education strategies grounded in instructional design models, she also possesses years of experience using learning technologies in higher education settings, including the design and facilitation of online and hybrid courses.

Dr. Braxton earned a Doctor of Science in Computer Science with Minors in Educational Leadership and Management Science from the George Washington University. She also holds a Master of Science in Computer Science with a Math Minor from North Carolina State University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics with a minor in Computer Science from Wake Forest University.

In her spare time, Dr. Braxton is a Certified Registered Riding Instructor at the Therapeutic and Recreational Riding Center in Glenwood, MD

Stephanie Cox

Stephanie Cox serves as the Chief Technology Officer at Trinity College-Hartford, where she oversees the institution’s technology strategy, driving innovation, efficiency, and digital transformation. With over 25 years of experience in IT networking and infrastructure, she has a proven track record of implementing forward-thinking solutions that enhance business continuity,performance, and user experience. Her extensive experience and dedication have made her a key figure in the field of technology leadership. 

Before joining Trinity, Stephanie spent 10 years at Indiana University, where she implemented the University’s statewide Citrix environment, serving the School of Medicine as well as all 120,000 students, faculty, and staff. In 2019, her team was awarded the Citrix Customer Innovation Award, marking the first time this award was given to the education sector. This achievement was a testament to her ability to lead and innovate in a complex and diverse environment. Prior to her work in higher education, Stephanie contributed to global infrastructure teams in the private sector at Lilly Inc. and Roche Pharmaceuticals in Indianapolis, where she honed her skills in managing large-scale technology projects.

Passionate about strategic initiatives, service excellence, and cultural transformation, Stephanie focuses on aligning technology with institutional goals to foster collaboration, innovation, and operational resilience. Her leadership approach is rooted in authenticity, empathy, and a commitment to empowering others to lead with their best selves. She believes in the power of technology to bring people together and create positive change.

At the core of her work is a vision to bridge technology and human potential, creating harmonious and productive environments. Stephanie holds a Bachelors of Science from Indiana University - School of Public and Environmental Affairs, and certificates in ITIL, and Citrix. She is currently taking courses at Johns Hopkins, School of Engineering in Artificial Intelligence. She enjoys spending time with her husband of nearly 30 years and her two adult children, and she is always looking for new opportunities to learn and grow both personally and professionally.

James Johnson

Dr. James H. Johnson Jr. serves as the Chief Information Officer (CIO) at Saint Mary's College of California (SMC), overseeing Information Technology Services (ITS) with a focus on enhancing student experience, streamlining business operations, developing cybersecurity programs, and maintaining college infrastructure. His responsibilities include supporting online education initiatives, physical access control, and IT services for events and conferences.

As former Director of Educational Technology at SMC, Dr. Johnson led the institution's successful transition to online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, bringing extensive experience in educational transformation from guiding Chapman University's University College evolution into Brandman University and standardizing learning systems at the University of New Orleans post-Hurricane Katrina. Currently co-chairing EDUCAUSE's Technology, Leadership, and Culture Advisory Committee and maintaining memberships in NADOHE and DET/CHE, his seven-year tenure as a communications professor has focused on interdisciplinary research combining political economy, critical race theory, Black feminist epistemologies, and human-computer interaction to examine how companies mechanize identity and impact racialized audiences through lifestyle commodification. He recently hosted the Academic Technology Expo (ATXpo), addressing crucial topics in higher education including distance learning, student accommodations, and artificial intelligence.

A California native, Dr. Johnson earned his Doctorate in Mass Communications and Media Arts from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, focusing on computer-mediated communication. He holds a Master of Arts in Education with a specialization in Educational Technology and Media Leadership, and a bachelor's degree in criminal justice with a certificate in High-Tech Crime and Counterfeiting from California State University, Long Beach.

Kenitra Horsley

As the Chief of Staff and CIO, Kenitra serves as the principal technology leader and advisor as a member of the senior leadership team for Queens University. She provides the vision and leadership for information technology strategies and initiatives while overseeing the development and execution of strategic initiatives for the institution at large. Before joining Queens, Kenitra was Head of Information Technology and Risk Management at VT LeeBoy, Inc. and served as Director of Application Development at Davidson College after more than 10 years as a Technology Consultant. As a technology consultant, Kenitra helped government, healthcare, and manufacturing companies make strategic investments in technology that not only allowed them to increase revenue and improve operational efficiencies but to create strategic advantages for themselves. Kenitra has more than 20 years’ experience in the Information Technology industry spanning both the public and private sectors and is an expert at bridging the gap between strategy and execution to yield tangible results.​ She currently serves on the board for the Higher Education Systems and Services (HESS) Consortium and advisory board to CharlotteCIO.

A native of Baltimore, Maryland, Kenitra holds an MBA from Johns Hopkins University and a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from the University of Maryland.​

Kenitra was named Fellow for the Next Leaders Fellowship in 2022. ​

Vanessa Kaskiris

Vanessa is the Chief Technology Officer for the City of Boston. She is a justice-oriented technologist and career public servant with over 25 years of experience in a variety of domains including public and private higher education, Federal research, and international software. She was also a successful brick-and-mortar entrepreneur who sold her business in 2019. She has developed and managed healthy and successful teams in engineering, operations, analytics, business analysis, UX, QA, product management, and project management.

Prior to joining the City of Boston, Vanessa was the Head of People, Finance, and Administration at Stanford Impact Labs, Stanford University. As a member of the leadership team, her work included the design of Stanford Impact Lab policy, the management of multi-year investments across +25 impact labs, recruiting oversight, development of staff incentivization structures, government program advising, and designing robust processes for partners and staff.   

Before Stanford, Vanessa was the Director of Planning and Analysis in Advancement at the University of California, Berkeley, where she led an experienced enterprise technology team to support the groundbreaking Light the Way campaign in raising an unprecedented 7.37 billion dollars, the largest total in history for any public university and for any university without a medical school. Prior to that, she was a Senior Manager in Research, Teaching, and Learning at University of California, Berkeley, where she oversaw the creation, design, and campus-wide adoption of an award-winning cloud-based learning analytics platform. She also created and managed the Technical Project Office and managed User Experience.     

Vanessa has a BA in English Literature and an MS in Information Systems both from the University of California, Berkeley. She is a lifelong learner with certifications in Agile, Design Thinking, Restorative Justice, Six Sigma, UX, Holistic Medicine, and is a graduate of the Aspen Policy Academy at the Aspen Institute. She is also a published author and her work supporting women and historically underrepresented people to be successful in IT is widely cited.